A Newborn Is Examined in the Delivery Room Shortly After

question 52

Multiple Choice

A newborn is examined in the delivery room shortly after being born vaginally to a 38-year-old woman.  The mother had intermittent prenatal care, and the pregnancy was complicated by bipolar disorder and chronic hypertension.  Interview of the mother reveals pressured and tangential speech.  She states, "I take my prescribed meds when I remember," and then adds, "I have a good memory, and I took the meds most of the time throughout the pregnancy."  She claims to have smoked cigarettes occasionally but then changes the subject when asked if other substances were used during pregnancy.  Examination of the neonate shows a nondysmorphic face and a mass overlying the lower spine that is covered with a patch of hair.  Which of the following maternal interventions could have most likely prevented this neonate's abnormalities?

• A)Antenatal steroid therapy
• B)Avoiding alcohol consumption
• C)Increasing dose of mood stabilizer
• D)Lowering dose of antihypertensive drug
• E)Smoking cessation
• F)Vitamin supplementation

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Definitions:

Familial Hypercholesterolemia

A genetic disorder characterized by high cholesterol levels, leading to an increased risk of heart disease.

Homozygous

Having two identical alleles for a particular gene, which can result in the gene being expressed in a more uniform manner.

Heterozygous

Referring to an organism that has two different alleles for a specific gene.

Incomplete Dominance

A genetic situation where neither allele dominates and the phenotype is a blend or mixture of the parental traits.